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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29981148">Lucky Black Cat</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395'>Starlight1395</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Depression, Group Bonding, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Kisses, M/M, Magic AU?, Mentions of past self-harm, More tags to be added, Non Idol AU, Past Suicidal Thoughts, Sick Fic, WITCHES AU, kind of a spoiler but also kind of obvious, mild binlix, minor injury, more tags upon request, shapeshifter chan, they're all aged up by like, three or four years</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:22:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,637</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29981148</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Minho, having lived alone in his apartment for almost a year without having having spoken to his neighbors, wondered if maybe - just maybe - he was isolating himself a bit too much. </p><p>When he comes across a cat in the hallway of his very strict 'no pets' apartment, he scoops the poor thing up, taking care of it until he can find it's owners. </p><p>Little did he know, there was more to the cat - and his neighbors - than he realized.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>290</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Cat in the Hall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Minho blinked. He glanced around the hall to make sure no one was coming and quickly scooped the cat into his arms. It had been napping just outside his door, or rather, between his door and his neighbor’s. The cat squawked as it was rudely awoken, but before either of them could realize what was happening, Minho was closing his apartment door behind him.</p><p>He gently placed the cat on the couch, petting its head gently. It was gorgeous - a large tom cat with pitch black fur everywhere except his front paws, and a splash on its nose vaguely shaped like a heart in white.</p><p>“Aren’t you handsome,” Minho cooed happily. He had always been a cat person, but the apartment building had a fairly strict ‘no pets’ policy. A few months prior, he had found a stray kitten, and had to all but beg the landlord to allow him to keep her in his apartment until his friend could come pick her up. The landlord hesitantly agreed, but only if Minho made <em>sure</em> there wasn’t a single complaint from any other apartment. He was suddenly very glad he was a bit of an optimist and kept the supplies from then. “So pretty.”</p><p>The cat meowed and licked Minho’s nose, causing the boy’s face to absolutely light up, his mouth curling happily.</p><p>“Such a handsome little boy...” He continued to pet the cat, almost in tears over how happy he was. He lived by himself, and it got so lonely sometimes. He knew he could reach out and make some friends - he had been wanting to befriend his neighbors since he moved in, but he was... intimidated. Only three technically lived there - Bang Chan, Seo Changbin, and Han Jisung - but their friends were in and out so often that they might as well pay rent. Minho managed to learn all of their names over the past months, but the only one he had ever spoken to was Felix, who he once rode in the elevator with. Other than that, Minho managed to run away any time one of them came near.</p><p>He didn’t mean to run, but his body tended to act before he could think.</p><p>“Where do you live, little one?” Minho asked, as if the cat could answer him. “It has to be someone on this floor. You wouldn’t have been able to ride the elevator or open the stairwell doors without help, and if someone helped you, they would have kicked you out...”</p><p>The cat yawned wide, his ears pressing back as he curled up on the couch in a perfect circle. Minho thought he would burst into tears at how cute he was.</p><p>As his houseguest slept, Minho pulled the cat supplies out from his hallway closet. A litter box with just enough litter to fill it about three quarters of how much would normally be put in. A food dish and water dish, and some dry cat food. Minho grimaced at the dry kibble - he didn’t know if cat food could necessarily go bad, but it had been a <em>while</em> since he bought it, and he wasn’t going to risk poisoning his new friend.</p><p>“I’ve been meaning to cook up that chicken,” Minho talked to himself - an embarrassing trait he had picked up when he moved into his apartment, all by himself. “I can just give him some of that. It’ll be way better than dry cat food.”</p><p>He set the litter box under the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room, pushing the three stools over so it would fit nicely in the corner. The cat continued to sleep peacefully as the human went into the kitchen and started clambering around, pulling out this and that to cook some makeshift meal for them both.</p><p>A soft meow pulled Minho from his thoughts. The cat stared up at him, large golden eyes trained on his face. For a moment, Minho could have sworn the cat’s gaze was just a little too... aware, but that was ridiculous - cats were smart, but not human-smart.</p><p>“I bet you’re hungry,” Minho smiled, his entire face softening in the way most people would around an infant. “Just a little longer, aegi. The chicken is too hot to eat right now, but I can get you some water.”</p><p>The cat followed Minho closely, almost tripping the boy up a few times as he filled the bowl with room temperature water, placing it on the ground. The cat instantly started lapping at it, his pink tongue flicking quickly.</p><p>“Mm...” Minho chuckled happily, petting the cat gently as he drank. “Ah, I should get your dinner ready, shouldn’t I?”</p><p>The cat looked up and chirped a little before turning back to his water. Minho went over to the counter and began cutting the cooked chicken into small, cat-sized pieces. He knew too much human food was bad for cats, but it was all he had at the moment. If he couldn’t find the cat’s owners by tomorrow, he would buy some real food for him.</p><p>He remembered his cats from home, and how they would eat little pieces of cheese if offered. He ripped a slice of cheese into small pieces and put it in the bowl with the chicken - the poor thing was lost. He deserved a treat!</p><p>“Here baby,” Minho knelt down, placing the bowl on the ground. The cat instantly rushed over, eating hungrily, as if he hadn’t eaten in days. Minho ran the back of his index and middle fingers along the cat’s head and spine gently, carefully watching his body language to see if the cat was getting irritated with him. Fortunately, it seemed the cat did not, in fact, mind at all. “You must have been starving. You’re such a big boy! Your humans must be so worried about you... I know I would be going crazy if my cat went missing...”</p><p>The cat’s ears flicked as he continued to eat, and Minho allowed himself to believe it was his way of showing the human he was listening.</p><p>“It’s almost embarrassing how happy I am right now,” He chuckled sadly. “I’m not the most outgoing when it comes to meeting new people. I think this might be the first time I’ve had someone... over...”</p><p>His hand stilled as the realization hit him fully. He had lived in this apartment for almost a year, and he genuinely couldn’t remember the last time he had a friend or a guest in his home. It was far past embarrassing - it was downright pitiful.</p><p>“Ha... I’m pretty sad, aren’t I?” He asked the cat, his words tight as he fought back tears. It wasn’t like there was anyone to see him cry.</p><p>All of a sudden, there was a loud shout from the apartment next door, causing both Minho and the cat to flinch. The cat’s tail flicked irritably, turning his head to glare at the wall separating Minho from his neighbors - or rather, that’s what it looked like, at least.</p><p>“Don’t mind them, little one,” Minho laughed lightly, petting the cat again to calm him. “I know they can be a little loud, but they’re good kids.”</p><p>The cat meowed, butting his forehead against Minho’s hand.</p><p>“I wish I had the guts to actually talk to them,” Minho picked the cat up, waiting to see if he would try to jump down. When the cat seemed content in his arms, Minho went over to the couch and plopped down, letting the cat curl up in his lap. “They seem like a lot of fun, but... I feel like it’s a little too late to randomly go over and introduce myself, you know? It’s been almost a <em>year</em>. They probably think I’m some kind of shut-in. They wouldn’t be wrong, honestly. God that’s embarrassing...”</p><p>The cat started to purr as Minho’s fingers mindlessly ran across his silky fur.</p><p>“I used to get pissed off when they would be up all night, but eventually I got used to it. I even started enjoying it, because they play music kind of loud, and... fuck, this is going to sound pathetic - it’s kind of like I’m there, you know? Like we’re all hanging out together...”</p><p>He trailed off, his throat stinging again. Every once in a while it would hit him how lonely he was, but the feeling would pass after a few hours - or a few shots, if he happened to have something on hand. By the time he woke up, the feeling was gone.</p><p>This was one of those moments, but he couldn’t get up to see what kind of alcohol he had in the kitchen, because he couldn’t wake the cat - that was against the rules of owning a cat, after all.</p><p>“I almost don’t want to give you back,” He chuckled, a single tear running down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away, as if the cat would judge him for breaking down in the safety of his own apartment. “But... I would never do that to your owners...”</p><p>The cat blinked slowly, yawning and stretching on Minho’s lap, his claws lightly digging into the boy’s thigh before he licked his mouth and looked back up at Minho. The boy smiled, wiping his eyes roughly. He had nothing to cry about - he had a nice apartment, and a good job - his lack of friends was his own fault, so he couldn’t be too upset about that.</p><p>“Oh wow, it’s late,” Minho blinked, shocked. Without even realizing it, the afternoon had flown by. “Do you want to sleep on my bed? Or on the couch?”</p><p>He asked the cat, as if he could understand him-</p><p>The cat meowed and pawed at Minho’s chest, putting his front paws against the boy and butting Minho’s chin with his head.</p><p>“The bed?” He asked, amused.</p><p>The cat licked his jaw.</p><p>“The bed it is,” He chuckled, wiping the last of his tears away. That was enough vulnerability for one evening. “Come on, little one.”</p><p>Minho carried the cat to his bedroom and placed him gently onto the covers. The cat sat and stared at the boy, who was moving around the room as he got ready for sleep. He changed, not caring that the cat seemed to be staring, unblinking.</p><p>He went to the bathroom and quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth. He was suddenly <em>very</em> tired, and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep.</p><p>The cat was still awake, as if he had been waiting for Minho to return. The boy smiled at him and pet his head gently as he crawled under the covers. The cat trotted over and laid right on Minho’s chest, making biscuits against the human’s stomach before curling up again. Minho was glad he preferred to sleep on his back regardless, because he would never have been able to move the cat now that he was sleeping.</p><p>“Good night, aegi,” Minho whispered as he clicked off the lamp on the bedside table. “In the morning, we’ll try to find your family.”</p><p>The cat just purred lightly as Minho drifted off to sleep.</p><hr/><p>Minho woke up a little sore. Normally he rolled around in his sleep, but a warm weight in the middle of his chest kept him pinned in one position. He cracked his eyes open and was met with the cat already awake and sitting on his chest, as if waiting for him.</p><p>He meowed, butting Minho’s face with his forehead again.</p><p>“Good morning,” Minho chuckled, his voice low and rough. The cat blinked, his ears flicking and fur puffing up a little. Minho thought he was so cute. “Did you sleep well?”</p><p>He knew it was pathetic to be talking to a cat like this. It wasn’t like he was going to get an actual answer-</p><p>The cat chirped, almost in confirmation. Minho stared at him for a moment before letting out a bright laugh.</p><p>“You’re so smart!” He cooed, taking the cat’s face in his hands and smoothing the fur on his cheeks with his thumbs. The cat didn’t try to pull away - in fact, he seemed to lean into the touch even more. “And so handsome. It’s not fair that you can be so handsome first thing in the morning while I’m stuck looking like this.”</p><p>The cat sneezed, as if disagreeing with Minho. The boy chuckled and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He yawned, trying to get the motivation to stand up. The cat nudging his elbow was enough to get him to move. He scooped the cat into his arms, cradling him on his back like a baby. The cat seemed more than content, once again, starting to purr as they made their way into the kitchen.</p><p>“What can I make us for breakfast?” Minho asked, holding the cat in one arm as he used his free hand to turn on his coffee maker. He pulled out his phone and googled what cats can eat, finally settling on scrambled eggs. “Here, you can sit on the counter while I cook, but don’t tell anyone, okay? We’re not supposed to sit up here.”</p><p>The cat chirped as he sat, his tails flicking in a happy way. Minho grinned and leaned down, pressing a kiss to the cat’s forehead, before going over to the fridge.</p><p>“It says egg whites are best for cats,” Minho said out loud. “The yolks have too much fat in them. That’s okay, I can scramble the whites for you and just add the yolks to my own. I don’t mind a little extra fat.”</p><p>He separated the whites from two eggs, putting the yolks aside and pouring the whites into the pan. The article said not to season it at all, so he just let them cook as he scrambled another egg in with the two yolks. The cat laid down, letting his front paws dangle over the edge of the counter, his little wrists crossed.</p><p>“What a gentleman,” Minho teased lightly, giving him another kiss. “Crossing your paws, how fancy.”</p><p>The cat’s ears flicked. If Minho didn’t know any better, he would have thought the cat’s expression was almost... prideful.</p><p>“You like compliments?” He grinned, running his thumbs along the cat’s cheeks again.</p><p>The cat leaned into the touch, butting Minho’s palm with his head.</p><p>“Well, you deserve all the compliments,” He cooed. “You’re so handsome, and so smart! I bet you can understand everything I’m saying, can’t you. You’re such a pretty baby. Such a handsome boy.”</p><p>The cat started to purr, his eyes falling shut happily. Far too soon Minho had to step away from his new friend to finish cooking the eggs. He tipped them into the cat dish, setting it aside to cool.</p><p>“You know, I never used to cook all that much, but ever since I started living alone, I’ve been forced to learn,” Minho rambled a little as he added some salt to his own. “The first few weeks were kind of sad - all I ate was instant noodles and various pastas. Like, three months into living here, I got really sick - I’m pretty sure it was the full out flu. I had to nurse myself back to health, and after that I couldn’t even look at instant cup ramen without feeling sick to my stomach. I needed to learn how to actually cook or I would have starved...”</p><p>He trailed off, his smile dimming.</p><p>He was still facing the repercussions of the two full months he couldn’t bring himself to eat. He felt disgusting any time he looked at food, opting to waste away in his bed. His depression was always there in the back of his head, but it was right after he moved in, and the realization that he was all alone had hit him even harder.</p><p>It was still hard to eat large amounts, and occasionally when he fell into a depressive episode, he wouldn’t feel deserving of food, but he was getting better.</p><p>He was broken from his thoughts by something sharp in his shoulder. Looking down, he saw that the cat had crossed the counters and was pawing at his arm, gently using his claws to get the human’s attention.</p><p>“Ah, you’re probably hungry, aren’t you?” He smiled easily. It seemed the only time a smile came without hesitation was when he was looking at his new friend. “I’m sorry, little one. Here, eat up.”</p><p>Placing the bowl on the top of the bar, he took his own breakfast and sat on one of the stools. He watched the cat attack the eggs - it was nice to eat breakfast with someone, even if that person was just a cat that wasn’t even his.</p><p>He chatted about this and that as they ate, and he was amused by how the cat seemed to pay attention to what he was saying. Every once in a while he would meow, or chirp, or sneeze, as if replying to Minho’s rhetorical questions.</p><p>Just as Minho was getting up to put their dishes in the sink, he heard a shout from the apartment next door.</p><p>“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE’S STILL NOT BACK?”</p><p>“I mean he’s still not back!”</p><p>“How long has he been gone?”</p><p>“He never came home last night...”</p><p>Minho glanced at the cat, who was staring at the wall intently, as if he were listening to the conversation.</p><p>“Are they your owners?” Minho asked, earning a loud meow. “Ah... I guess they are. I’m gonna miss you, little one.”</p><p>He kissed the cat’s forehead one last time before slipping from the apartment and going one door over. He hesitated before landing three heavy knocks on the door. He jumped back in shock when it flew open, someone about to barrel right into his chest.</p><p>“Shit-” The boy hissed when he slammed into something soft.</p><p>“Uh, Jisung, right?” he asked awkwardly. Jisung blinked at him, his eyebrows furrowing for a moment before his eyes flew open.</p><p>“Oh! You’re the neighbor!” He exclaimed, his face lighting up.</p><p>“Y-yeah, that’s be,” He chuckled awkwardly. He remembered why he was there after a moment. “Um, did you... lose a roommate? Perhaps a small, furry one?”</p><p>“You found him?”</p><p>“If by ‘him’ you mean the cat, then yes.”</p><p>“Oh thank <em>fuck</em>,” Jisung breathed, slumping in relief. “We were freaking the fuck out - if someone else found him...”</p><p>“That’s why I instantly brought him in,” Minho smiled a little. “I didn’t want someone else to find him and kick him out. Here, I can go get him.”</p><p>Minho went back to his apartment, but what he didn’t expect was for the younger boy to follow close behind him. As soon as the door opened, there was a loud meow as the cat came trotting over to them. He curled around Minho’s legs, purring loudly before nipping Jisung’s ankles.</p><p>“You little-” Jisung scowled before his face softened. “You scared us. You can’t do shit like this.”</p><p>“What’s his name?” Minho couldn’t help but ask. He had been referring to the cat as ‘the cat’ since he found him, and it would be nice to put a name to a face.</p><p>“Uh... Chris,” Jisung glanced down at the cat for a moment before answering. “Seriously, thank you for finding him and taking care of him. I know he can be a handful.”</p><p>“It was my pleasure,” He said, his throat starting to sting already. He knew as soon as Jisung took Chris back to the other apartment, he would be all alone again. “I... I really love cats, but you know the rules here... it’s been killing me not to have one around the apartment. I grew up with at least two cats around the house at all times, so living all alone gets a little boring...”</p><p>He could feel himself rambling and instantly wished he could sink into the floor. This was one reason why he never tried to branch out and meet new people - he always ended up rambling like an idiot.</p><p>Jisung, however, didn’t seem deterred by his rambles. He scooped Chris into his arms and shot Minho a brilliant smile. Minho couldn’t help but notice the boy’s smile was almost heart shaped.</p><p>“Well, you can come over and see him whenever you want!” Jisung rocked back and forth on his heels, as if he couldn’t bring himself to stand still for too long. Chris seemed content in the boy’s arms, his eyes closed and softly purring.</p><p>“Ah, I wouldn’t want to impose,” he chuckled awkwardly. “If you ever need a pet sitter though, I would love to watch him.”</p><p>“We’ll keep that in mind,” Jisung nodded. “I should be getting back. The others’ll want to know that... Chris is safe.”</p><p>“Oh, of course,” Minho didn’t mean to hold Jisung up. He walked the boy back to the door, pausing in the doorway as Jisung went over to his own apartment. “Jisung?”</p><p>“Mm?” The boy stopped just as he was turning the knob.</p><p>“I... you don’t have to worry about me telling anyone,” He looked at the worn carpet that lined the hallway. “I, um, I wouldn’t put Chris at risk like that- I wouldn’t want any of you to get in trouble.”</p><p>“Oh... thank you,” Jisung’s face softened, his eyes turning up at he smiled at the older boy. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, okay.” Minho returned the smile, his arms wrapping around his waist. Jisung nodded once more before ducking back into his apartment. Minho did the same, sighing when the silence of his home started to press down on him.</p><p>He went to the kitchen and started washing the dishes, his movements mechanical as he placed them off to the side to dry. The food and water bowls were placed next to his own dishes.</p><p>Minho already missed Chris. It had only been for a few short hours, but his apartment seemed way too big all of a sudden.</p><p>“He didn’t even use it.” He grumbled a little as checked the litter box. Part of him knew he should tuck it away - if the landlord were to randomly pop in, Minho would have to answer some tough questions. He knew this, but he was tired.</p><p>Instead of cleaning anything else, he just went to the couch and set his laptop up on the small table that sat in front of it. Technically he had an HDMI chord but he didn’t feel like getting up to plug everything in. Wrapping himself in his warmest blanket, he put on his favorite comfort anime. He had seen the whole thing at least three times, but it was always his go-to when he was feeling down.</p><p>He hadn’t even made it two episodes before there was a knock at his front door, making him jump. Almost falling off the couch from the blanket wrapping around his legs, he scuttled over, said blanket still wrapped around his shoulders and head like a cloak.</p><p>“Hello?” He asked, poking his head out.</p><p>“Minho, right?” Chan grinned at him, his dimple standing out.</p><p>“Uh, y-yeah,” Minho stuttered. He and Chan had talked once or twice, but they had never had any real conversation before. “Chan?”</p><p>“Mm!” Chan ran a hand through curly bangs. “I just got back from work and the kids told me you took care of our... son.”</p><p>“Chris,” Minho’s face instantly softened. “I found him in the hallway so I brought him in so no one else would throw him out.”</p><p>“It means a lot to us that you’d care that much.” There was a serious edge to the other boy’s words, but Minho couldn’t pinpoint why.</p><p>“Would... would you like to come in?” Minho didn’t know what compelled him to offer, but now he was scared that Chan would absolutely deny the request, and his hope of getting closer with his neighbors would be completely smashed-</p><p>“I’d love to,” He smiled again, and Minho couldn’t help but stare at how Chan’s eyes seemed to sparkle. He stepped aside to let the other boy in, closing the door behind him - he had to tug the blanket out from under the door for it to latch properly, and he felt a little foolish for taking so long to do something as easy as close a door. “Oh shit! I love this show!”</p><p>Minho hadn’t paused the episode, not having expected to be away for more than a few seconds.</p><p>“Really?” He hated how hopeful his voice sounded.</p><p>“Mm, I’ve tried to get the others to watch it with me, but most of them aren’t into anime, and the ones who are like the romance ones.”</p><p>“I have a manga shelf, if you’d wanna see it? You can read whatever you want.” Minho internally cringed. Was that too weird of an offer? Was he being too open with Chan? He had never been good at determining how close he needed to be with someone in order to act familiar with them.</p><p>“Fuck yeah,” Chan grinned. “I have a few of my own, but they’re all back at my parent’s house. I really wish I would have brought them with me when I moved in.”</p><p>“I left my back at first too, but I randomly got the urge to reread a series and ended up going all the way home just to get them back,” Minho chuckled, feeling a little less tense - Chan seemed to be meeting him halfway with everything, which was something he <em>really</em> appreciated. Chan didn’t make him feel awkward at all. They went to the bedroom, where the shelf was, and Minho didn’t think twice about the fact that Chan seemed to know exactly where to go. “It’s been a real battle to keep myself from spending a fortune every time I go to the bookstore.”</p><p>“I feel that,” Chan laughed easily, and Minho liked how the sound seemed to fill the room nicely. “Between manga, comics, and collectables, I have neither enough space, nor enough damn money.”</p><p>He grinned wide when Minho started to laugh as well. Turning to the shelf, Chan let out an appreciative whistle.</p><p>“I have to say - I’m impressed,” He scanned the bookcase, his eyes lighting up at some of the more familiar titles. “There are a bunch I’ve never heard of.”</p><p>“My friend from high school was a huge nerd,” Minho wiped some dust from the ledge of the shelf. “He’s the one who got me sucked into all of this. He dragged me to a few cons right when we were teenagers - conventions are the best place to find the more obscure shit.”</p><p>“Can I read this one?” Chan asked, pointing to one of the more beat up volumes. It was one Minho had gotten cheap at a second hand shop.</p><p>“Sure,” He nodded. “If you want, we can just chill on the bed and read?”</p><p>“That sounds perfect,” Chan’s ears warmed as he turned back to the book shelf. “If we’re going to camp here for a bit, I might grab a few extra volumes.”</p><p>“Help yourself.” Minho said as he did the same, gathering the first few volumes of a series. Chan hummed, eyes glued to the shelf as Minho went over to the bed and flopped down onto his stomach, the blanket from the couch large enough to dwarf the mattress.</p><p>Chan walked over a few moments later, sitting with his back against the wall, a pile of manga sitting next to him. Minho put some music on, turning the volume just high enough to be heard but not too loud to be distracting.</p><p>The silence was... nice. It was nothing like the silence from before - every few minutes Chan would make a comment, or laugh about something. He would nudge Minho with his foot to get the younger boy’s attention to show him a panel or page that he liked.</p><p>By the time Minho closed the last volume of the series he had been reading, he realized how badly his eyes stung. He rarely had the chance to actually sit down and binge a series anymore. He had almost forgotten how much he adored <em>reading</em> things.</p><p>“I should probably head back,” Chan yawned wide, and Minho couldn’t help but think the older boy looked a bit like a cat. “This was really nice. Can we do this again?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Minho hoped he didn’t sound as eager as he felt. “I... I really liked this. It was nice to just have someone to sit next to.”</p><p>“Mm, people underestimate how much fun you can have while sitting in silence, doing your own thing.” Chan’s mouth lifted up in one corner as they went to the front door. “Thanks for having me over.”</p><p>“Thanks for hanging out.” Minho smiled, and it didn’t feel strained.</p><p>“Mm,” Chan hummed before taking a step towards his own door. “Oh, Minho?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“If you leave your balcony door open during the day, Chris might come and say hi,” He smiled at Minho, and the smile almost seemed to tell Minho that the older boy had a secret that Minho didn’t know. “He’s been known to jump across them.”</p><p>“Maybe I will.” Minho chuckled before waving. Chan nodded again before slipping into his apartment. Closing the door behind him, Minho looked straight ahead towards the sliding balcony door. Each apartment had a small ledge - no larger than a parking spot - but he rarely used it. He had been meaning to decorate it with nice cushions and a bench and maybe some lights, but he kept forgetting, and standing on the bare concrete was depressing, so he never went out there.</p><p>He clicked the door open and glanced over to the right to the other balcony. There was about a three foot gap between their railings - a small distance for a nimble cat to jump across, if they had the urge to do so.</p><p>Stepping back inside, he left the door open a crack. It was nice out, and even if Chris didn’t come to visit, he would get some fresh air circulating through the room. It absolutely wasn’t because he was a little desperate for his friend to come back.</p><hr/><p>Minho felt something butting against his ankles. Looking down, he let out a sound of delight - Chris had come back to visit! After three days of leaving his door open and no one coming in, the black cat was curling around his legs. When Chris noticed Minho’s attention, he chirped happily.</p><p>“Welcome back little one,” he grinned and picked the cat up. Chris licked his chin, making a laugh bubble in his throat. It was almost scary, how quickly the pressure in his chest could just... vanish. “They should get you a collar. If you get out again, we don’t want anyone thinking you’re a stray, though you’re way too friendly to be a stray.”</p><p>Chris just purred and leaned into the hand that was scratching the back of his head gently. After a moment, the cat opened his eyes and crawled up Minho’s chest, curling around the boy’s neck like a travel pillow.</p><p>“Comfortable?” Minho chuckled. Chris licked his cheek again before relaxing, softly purring as Minho continued chopping vegetables for his salad. “You’ll never guess what happened! I talked to Jisung and Chan, both on the same day. It was actually really nice... Chan came over and we sat and just read manga on my bed. I know it’s a little lame, but it was nice not needing to fill the silence. I never know what to say, then I feel awkward when no one’s talking, but it didn’t feel like that with him...”</p><p>He found himself smiling softly as he thought of the other boy. His hands stilled for a moment before he shook his head a little. He didn’t have time or the emotional capacity for a crush, he told himself as he scooped the diced peppers into the bowl. Chris licked his face again, almost as if he were trying to get his attention.</p><p>“Mm, what is it baby?” Minho asked, noticing how Chris seemed to purr just a little harder at the pet name. “You like it when I call you baby? You’re so cute aegi.”</p><p>Minho laughed out loud when Chris physically covered his little nose with his paws, as if embarrassed. The boy turned his head and pressed a kiss to Chris’ fur. The purring skipped a beat before continuing strong.</p><p>“You’re the prettiest cat I’ve ever seen,” Minho brought his lunch to the living room and sat on the couch, crossing his legs under him as Chris crawled off his shoulder and into his lap like he owned it. “Mm, make yourself comfortable, little one. You can stay as long as you want.”</p><p>He leaned across to type at his laptop, bringing his anime back up again. Chris perked up, chirping as the opening song started to play. Minho smiled and ruffled the cat’s fur playfully before sitting back and mixing the dressing into his salad.</p><p>“You like anime too, aegi?” He chuckled. “Makes sense, if your human is a weeb. Too bad the others aren’t into shows like this. Romance is nice and all, but if you’re single it just makes you depressed.”</p><p>Chris’ ears pressed down, but Minho didn’t think too much into it. I was probably just because the show had hit a loud part, and it startled the cat’s sensitive hearing. He mused for a moment what would happen if Chris was a person under a curse - he <em>knew</em> curses weren’t real, but it almost made sense. Chris seemed just a tad too aware of his surroundings to be a simple cat.</p><p>“Ah, I’m just being stupid now,” He chuckled before yelping a little. Looking down he saw Chris’ teeth sinking into his calf - not hard, but almost like a warning. “What? I didn’t do anything! Ugh, now look at me, I’m arguing with a cat. Maybe I really am that pathetic- OW!”</p><p>Minho glared at Chris who had bitten him a second time. Chris just glared back, his tongue flicking out as his tail whipped around, smacking Minho’s thigh.</p><p>“What? Do you not like it when I insult myself or something?” Minho asked, rhetorically, of course. He didn’t expect Chris to meow, as if agreeing with the observation. Minho let out a humorless huff as he went back to petting the cat mindlessly, no longer hungry. “Sorry baby... I can’t really help it sometimes... It’s hard to like myself a lot of the time.”</p><p>Chris sneezed before settling down in Minho’s lap, but instead of going to sleep, he looked up at Minho, as if prompting him to continue. The boy didn’t know why he felt compelled to spill his guts to a <em>cat</em>, but he found himself talking again.</p><p>“I just... It’s hard to like myself when I feel like a failure. I’m almost twenty four. I graduated college, but what am I doing with my degree? Definitely not working a job that uses it - I never doubted my decision to get a computer science degree, but working as tech help at a college isn’t what I wanted to do with my life. I got a dance minor, but I haven’t been able to use it even once... I haven’t danced since I <em>graduated</em>. I feel... I feel like I wasted all that time and effort because I let those skills die off.”</p><p>Chris’ eats pressed back, letting out a low rumble in the back of his throat before nudging Minho’s thigh with his forehead, as if urging him to keep talking.</p><p>“Sometimes I wonder... I wonder if it was worth even getting out of high school,” His voice dropped, throat stinging. “I- fuck, I don’t think I’ve ever actually told anyone this... I was really depressed back then - way worse than I am now. I genuinely thought I would off myself before I reach graduation, so I never really bothered to plan for my future. When I managed to <em>not</em> kill myself, I freaked out because I had to do everything on the fly. I know I’m still depressed, obviously... I can feel it like- like oil in my blood. I can’t get out of bed. I can’t eat... I wonder if the fall from the balcony would be enough to-”</p><p>Chris cut off that train of thought with another bite to the leg, this one a little gentler than the first two. Minho chuckled, wondering when he started crying. His tears dripped down onto the cat’s fur like rain as he frantically wiped his cheeks.</p><p>“I just... There are people out there who- who are going to do amazing things,” He whispered brokenly. “But I really don’t think I’m going to do anything at all. I don’t know if I was even supposed to be born in the first place-”</p><p>He lost his composure completely, sobbing into his hands. Chris sat up and placed his paws on the boy’s chest, nudging his hands away and licking the tears away from his cheeks. Minho smiled brokenly</p><p>“Thank you,” He muttered through his tears, holding the creature close. He was almost surprised when Chris let him clutch his small form so firmly, but the cat just let Minho cry, licking the boy’s face and butting his face with his forehead as often as he could, almost as if he were comforting the human. “I’m sorry, little one. I cried all over you... you’re all wet now...”</p><p>Chris chirped, as if telling Minho it was alright.</p><p>“You’re different from other cats,” Minho mused, causing Chris’ ears to flick. “I don’t know what it is, but you really are... Maybe I’m just that desperate for someone to care about me... I know you don’t want me to insult myself but even you have to admit it’s kind of pathetic.”</p><p>Chris sneezed and looked away. See, even a cat can’t deny how pitiful he was...</p><p>“Do you...” Minho choked on his words. “Do you think anyone would miss me? If I- if I... left?”</p><p>Chris’ ears pressed flat against his head, a low growl rumbling in his chest. He jumped up, biting Minho’s ankle - telling the human to follow him? Minho didn’t resist, letting the cat pull him over to the sliding door of the balcony. Chris butted the door until Minho opened it, jumping up on the railing and looking back at Minho, as if making sure the human was watching, before jumping over to the other balcony. Instead of going inside, Chris just sat there and meowed loudly.</p><p>“I don’t think they’d care all that much,” Minho chuckled humorlessly. “Jisung didn’t even know my name. The only reason I know all of their names is because they’re so loud all the time. I wouldn’t be surprised if half of them don’t even know there’s someone living in this apartment at all.”</p><p>Chris jumped back over and landed silently by Minho’s feet, wrapping around his ankles and purring loudly.</p><p>“Thank you, baby,” Minho sniffled, picking the cat up and holding him close to his chest, placing desperate kisses to the top of his head, as if the cat could ground him. “Ha... if only a kiss could turn you into a pretty boy to sweep me off my feet... then everything would be okay.”</p><p>Chris sneezed.</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right,” Minho took them both back inside, leaving the sliding door open just enough to Chris to slip through. “Magic can’t solve everything. It would be nice, though. Want to watch more anime, little one?”</p><p>Chris chirped, licking Minho’s shirt.</p><p>Minho just smiled, swallowing to chase off another wave of tears. He was fine.</p><p>He was <em>fine</em>.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. My Two Favorite Boys</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>“You know how to skateboard?” Jisung stared at Minho in awe. The younger boy had basically forced his way into Minho’s apartment a short while ago, claiming that all of his friends abandoned him and that he would waste away if he wasn’t given attention. Minho didn’t know how to say no - not that he would have wanted to - so he let Jisung in and allowed him to make himself at home.</p><p>At the moment, he was making them ramen to split, adding in extras that he already had cooked up in his fridge. Minho glanced at where Jisung was looking and let out a chuckle. He had been purging out his hallway closet, so his longboard was propped up against the wall to be put back in.</p><p>“I mean, I can longboard, which is a little bit different than skateboarding,” He smiled at Jisung, who’s eyes were wide and sparkling. “I used to ride between classes but I haven’t tried since graduating.”</p><p>“We have to go to the park!” Jisung cried, running over and grabbing the board, looking closely at all the scuffs and nicks from the many long semesters of abuse.</p><p>“It is really nice out...” Minho mused, glancing out the sliding door. It was cracked open, but it had been a few days since Chris had stopped by.</p><p>“Please hyung?” Jisung pouted a little, and Minho found himself ready to give the younger boy <em>anything</em> he wanted. Was he weak to being called hyung? Weak to having someone rely on him and look up to him after so long being isolated?</p><p>Maybe just a little bit.</p><p>“Mm, but after we eat,” Minho chuckled as Jisung cheered, punching the air in excitement as the older boy brought the pot over to the bar counter. He handed Jisung a pair of chopsticks and opened the lid, letting the steam out. “Do you think Chan hyung would like to come with us?”</p><p>“Channie hyung’s workin’ right now,” Jisung said without pausing his noodle scooping, using the lid as a plate. “He interns over at the recording company in town and works at the convenience store in his spare time... Binnie hyung and I have tried telling him that we can easily cover rent for all three of us but he insists on contributing. Bin hyung is lowkey loaded, but you wouldn’t know that with how he acts.”</p><p>“The more I learn about him, the more impressed I get,” Minho smiled softly, picking up a piece of chicken from the pot. “He seems almost too good to be true.”</p><p>“Trust me, he has <em>a lot</em> of flaws,” Jisung rolled his eyes a little. “Starting with the fact that he never fucking sleeps, and we have to basically force him to stay in bed.”</p><p>“Insomnia?”</p><p>“Mm, and he refuses to get anything for it,” Jisung scoffed lightly. “We’ve all tried to get him to talk to a doctor, or to get like, melatonin tablets, but he always says it’s fine.”</p><p>Minho just hummed as he ate his lunch, but his mind was whirling. Next time Chan came over for manga reading, Minho might have to try to convince him to nap for a bit. The older boy looked tired after the first time, and Minho personally found himself falling asleep after enough reading.</p><p>Maybe they could nap together-</p><p>Minho shook his head a little, stopping that thought in its track. He <em>really</em> didn’t have the time to get his heart broken, especially not by his neighbor.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“What if I fall?” Jisung asked, standing on the longboard and gripping Minho’s shoulders.</p><p>“I’ll do my best to catch you,” Minho smiled, his chest light. “You have to keep your standing leg bent - if you lock your knees, you’ll lose your balance.”</p><p>“Ah jeez...” Jisung mumbled as he pushed off. They had gone to the park after lunch, as Jisung had requested, and found the basketball court empty. It was the perfect place to practice skating, because it was open and flat and had less things to fall over.</p><p>Minho watched Jisung carefully skate in a straight line, the boy letting out a panicked hum as he pushed himself along. He wobbled a little but managed to regain his balance just before he flew off.</p><p>“If you feel yourself falling, just jump off and use the momentum to run a few steps,” He called after Jisung, who was picking up speed. “Let the board roll away - you can get it when you’re not eating asphalt.”</p><p>“Okay!” Jisung shouted back. Seconds later, Minho huffed a chuckle as he watched Jisung’s arms windmill, the boy stumbling off the board like a newborn giraffe as the board itself shot away, flinging itself towards the grass.</p><p>“You good?” Minho laughed, calling to his new friend.</p><p>“Yeah,” Jisung rested his hands on his knees, gathering himself from his near-death experience. “I’m absolutely going to wipe out...”</p><p>“Wanna try again?” Minho asked, jogging over to grab the board.</p><p>“I wanna see hyung skate.” Jisung grinned brightly, and how could Minho say no to that face?</p><p>“Ah jeez...” he parroted Jisung from earlier, putting the board down on the basketball court and placed his foot on top, testing the bounce of it. “It’s been a hot minute since I’ve skated...I don’t know if I can even do it anymore.”</p><p>“Hyung fighting!” Jisung cheered for him.</p><p>Minho wrinkled his nose for a second before pushing off. It took a moment for him to find his balance, but as soon as he did it was like he had never stopped. He knew the saying that once you learned how to ride a bike you never truly forgot, and it seemed to apply to longboarding as well.</p><p>Bending his knees, he glided across the basketball court, turning easily and pushing himself to go faster. He sped towards Jisung, curling around the younger boy by leaning his weight forward. He hopped off and stepped on the back, catching the front as it flew up towards him.</p><p>“Ha, I didn’t realize how much I missed this.” He laughed happily, the fresh air and sunshine making his heart swell - mental illness who?</p><p>“Hyung! That was so cool!” Jisung threw himself at the older boy, wrapping his arms around Minho’s neck and trusting him to catch him.</p><p>“Ah, I don’t know about that-”</p><p>“No seriously! You looked so cool! You made it seem so easy!”</p><p>“I’ve just had lots of practice,” Minho’s face softened, his arms coming around Jisung’s waist to hold the boy gently. “Do you want to try again?”</p><p>“Yes!” Jisung jumped away. Minho handed him the board and watched him eagerly put the wheels down on the asphalt. He pushed off, seeming less hesitant to use his weight to gain momentum. Minho could hear the younger boy laughing as he went, his face lighting up as he managed to take a wide turn. He stumbled a little at the end of the turn, but he quickly straightened the board and tried riding back towards Minho.</p><p>“Careful where you put your back foot!” Minho called. Jisung was placing his foot farther and farther back on the board, and if he kept doing that his balance would be shot.</p><p>“Keep your feet close-”</p><p>“AHHH-” Jisung shouted, his back foot slipping off the back of the board, causing him to fly off. He tensed, preparing to hit the hard pavement of the court, only to land on something... soft.</p><p>“Fuck...” Minho groaned, his ears ringing. Jisung sat up and saw Minho under him, the older boy’s arms around his waist from where he caught him.</p><p>“Hyung! Are you okay?” Jisung asked, his voice loud enough to make Minho flinch. “I’m so sorry!”</p><p>“It’s alright,” He sat up, wondering why he was struggling. Maybe Jisung had done more than knock the air from his lungs. “I told you I’d catch you if you fell, didn’t I?”</p><p>“You did but...” Jisung looked close to tears. He cupped Minho’s face and tilted his head from side to side, as if he could determine if the older boy was injured just by looking into his eyes.</p><p>“Ah- careful,” Minho winced as Jisung’s fingers got too close to the sore spot on the back of his head - the point that cracked against the asphalt as he caught Jisung’s weight.</p><p>“It hurts a little, but I’m fine-”</p><p>Both Minho and Jisung stared at the younger boy’s hand as he pulled away. Crimson colored his fingers, and it took a moment for Minho to realize what that meant.</p><p>“Shit! Hyung, we need to go to the hospital-” Jisung started panicking, looking around as if there was something nearby that could help them.</p><p>“Nah, no need for the hospital,” Minho chuckled and stood. The world spun a little, but he managed to gather his senses before Jisung could get to his feet. “It’s just a little blood. Head wounds bleed like a bitch even when they’re shallow.”</p><p>“But-” He sounded slightly desperate.</p><p>“I’m fine, baby,” Minho didn’t think before saying the pet name. “I promise by the time we get home, the bleeding will have stopped. I’ll shower and everything will be right as rain, okay?”</p><p>“But...” Jisung pouted, guilt clearly shining in his eyes.</p><p>“Aegi, don’t make that face,” He softly pinched Jisung’s cheek. “It’ll stick that way.”</p><p>“Ppft-” Jisung laughed, the tension in his expression softening.</p><p>“Come on, let’s go home.” He reached down and grabbed his board, trying to make sure Jisung didn’t see him almost fall when the world started to spin.</p><p>The wound was a <em>little</em> bit worse than he was letting on. He had experienced his fair share of head hits - between teaching himself to skate, and dance where props were often tossed around, he knew a bad wound versus a <em>bad</em> wound, and this one was...</p><p>Somewhere in the middle.</p><p>His vision wasn’t blurring anymore, which was a good sign as they walked back to the apartment building. The last time he got a concussion, he couldn’t see clearly for almost two days, everything just a little out of focus the whole time.</p><p>“Is there anything I can do?” Jisung asked as they rode the elevator to their floor.</p><p>“I’m okay,” Minho said for what could have easily been the twentieth time since leaving the park. He gave Jisung a smile and messed up the younger boy’s bangs, silently glad he had let his hair grow out - and that he chose to wear a black t-shirt - because it hid the blood that he could feel dripping slowly down his back. A slow drip was good, it meant the bleeding wasn’t that bad. “I’m going to hop in the shower, okay? You don’t have to worry.”</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“Very sure,” he placed his hand on Jisung’s head, letting it rest there for a moment before his arm fell to his side. “You should go inside - make sure no one thinks I kidnapped you.”</p><p>“Mm, okay hyung...” Jisung pouted, still looking a bit like a kicked puppy. Minho waited until the boy was in his apartment before going in his, his smile instantly dropping as the headache echoed through his skull.</p><p>All he needed was a hot shower and some advil.</p><p>He put some music on as he let the shower warm, throwing back five pills at once to hopefully curve the hangover-level throbbing behind his eyes. Stepping into the hot shower, he couldn’t help but wince at how the water ran pink down the drain.</p><p>It had been a few years since he saw blood in the shower like that.</p><p>As he showered, he didn’t hear barely restrained panic in the knocks at his front door, nor did he hear the person curse, a door opening and closing, and a few moments of silence before the sound of small paws landing on concrete as Chris slipped into the apartment.</p><p>The cat went over to the bathroom, sniffing at the door. He couldn’t open it, but he could hear Minho singing along softly with whatever song was playing.</p><p>Good. A singing Minho meant the boy was still conscious, at least. Chris curled up in front of the door, keeping a well trained ear out for a loud thud that thankfully never came.</p><p>Minho opened the door to see Chris sitting there and almost tripped over the cat.</p><p>“Chris!” Minho blinked, wearing just a pair of sweatpants.</p><p>Chris meowed and curled around the human’s ankles, purring loudly.</p><p>“I missed you too, little one,” Minho bent down to pet the cat only for the hallway to shift a little. He had to lean against the wall to keep his balance, barely hearing Chris’ meows of distress through the ringing in his ears. “I’m fine, just a little headache.”</p><p>Chris didn’t seem to agree, for he bit Minho’s pants and pulled him to the living room, and the boy had no choice but to follow. Minho chuckled a little as Chris hopped up onto the couch, meowing loudly.</p><p>“You want me to sit down?” Minho smiled despite the pain in his skull. Chris flicked his ears, which Minho took as a yes. He sat and let his eyes close for a moment. He only planned on resting them, but he was suddenly being bitten. Looking down, he saw Chris gripping his wrist between sharp teeth. “Don’t worry baby, I’m not going to go to sleep. I know better than to sleep after smacking your head.”</p><p>Chris stared at him for a moment, as if contemplating if he could trust the human before sneezing and running to the balcony, disappearing out the door.</p><p>Minho chuckled - what a strange cat. He unlocked his phone and scrolled through twitter, not really caring about anything that was on his timeline. Some days were just dryer than others, and he got bored easily.</p><p>Before he could change apps, there was a knock at his door.</p><p>“Chan?” Minho asked, opening the door.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” The older boy asked, his eyebrows already turned up with worry.</p><p>“Huh?” Minho blinked.</p><p>“Jisung told me you hit your head catching him,” He scanned Minho’s face, and it almost reminded him of how Chris stared at him just moments before. “Does it hurt?”</p><p>“Ah, only a little,” he stepped aside to let Chan into his apartment. He was suddenly <em>very</em> aware that he was not wearing a shirt. He wasn’t ugly under his clothes, but he had gotten softer since he stopped dancing, and there were pale, near invisible lines running along his stomach, from years ago, when he was in high school. He doubted Chan would care about what his body looked like, but he still couldn’t help but feel self conscious. It didn’t help that his small crush on the older boy was maybe - just maybe - a little bigger than just a small crush. “I took some advil before my shower, so it should be kicking in soon.</p><p>“Can I...” Chan trailed off, reaching his hand up to Minho’s cheek. Confused, he nodded, wondering what Chan wanted to do-</p><p>“Fuck...” He moaned breathlessly as Chan’s fingers gently carded through his hair, the older boy’s warm palm resting directly over where the wound was. It was as if he could physically feel the pain receding from the heat coming from Chan’s hand.</p><p>He found his eyes closing happily as the warmth seemed to soak into his head, making his thoughts a little fuzzy. He didn’t know what Chan did, but whatever it was...Minho never wanted him to stop.</p><p>“Do you want to go sit?” Chan whispered, not taking his hand back just yet. Minho could feel his nails scratching his scalp lightly, and if he had been a cat, Minho would absolutely be purring. “Come on, let’s go to the couch.”</p><p>Minho let himself be pulled over, easily allowing Chan to take control of the moment. The older boy positioned him on the couch, sitting next to him and letting Minho rest his head - still a little fuzzy - against his broad chest.</p><p>“I don’t know how you did it, but my headache is completely gone.” Minho curled against Chan’s side, not at all embarrassed to be so clingy. If his mind wasn’t foggy, he would never allow himself to be so cringy.</p><p>“Magic,” Chan whispered, earning a chuckle from Minho. “Don’t think too much about it. You’ll bring the headache back.”</p><p>“Are you calling me dumb?” Minho asked, his lips curling in an amused smile.</p><p>“I would <em>never</em>,” Chan’s words vibrated through Minho’s chest. “You can go to sleep, if you want. I’ll watch over you.”</p><p>“Mm... maybe I will.” Minho yawned, nuzzling his face into Chan’s chest more. The older boy was warm, and smelled nice. He kinda wished he could stay here forever.</p><p>The last thing he heard before falling asleep was Chan humming a soft song.</p><hr/><p><br/>Minho’s stomach cramped, but he couldn’t bring himself to get out of bed. He had called out of work for the third day in a row, claiming to have a horrible stomach bug. His boss didn’t want him coming in if there was a chance of passing it on, because college campuses were already a breeding ground for illnesses.</p><p>He hated this. He hated it <em>so fucking much</em> but there wasn’t much he could do about it - it was inevitable. His depression always hit bad around that time of year, and unless he wanted to try medication again...</p><p>After the last one left him a zombie for a month, he swore off pills, at least for a few years.</p><p>He sniffled weakly, not even having the energy to cry fully. He knew he needed to get up - he needed to shower and make himself food. He needed to change his sheets and throw away the rotting leftovers in his fridge. He needed to get his <em>shit</em> together and stop being such a miserable, pathetic, <em>worthless piece of-</em></p><p>“Huh?” He blinked, feeling something but up against his chin. Shifting, he saw Chris curling up in the space next to him on the bed. The cat didn’t acknowledge him as he settled down, purring lightly as he closed his eyes. “How did you get in?”</p><p>He hadn’t been able to get out of bed to open the balcony door. There was no way...</p><p>“It doesn’t matter,” he whispered, burying his face in the cat’s warm fur. “I’m... just glad that you’re here.”</p><p>Chris purred a little louder, and the sound lulled Minho back to sleep.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He groaned as he opened his eyes again. The weight bore down on him harder than ever, and he wondered if there was any way to stop this feeling. All he would need to do is bleed out the pressure, or...</p><p>Or end the pain for good-</p><p>Chris meowed loudly, swatting at Minho’s hair. The human blinked, having forgotten the cat was there at all.</p><p>“Oh... are you hungry?” His voice was gravely and soft. He hadn’t spoken much in the last three days. Chris butted Minho’s chin again, which the human took as a yes. “I... I should get you something to eat...”</p><p>He didn’t want to get out of bed, but this wasn’t just about him anymore. He could starve in his bed without a single care, but he couldn’t leave Chris to go hungry.</p><p>He could die, for all he cared, but Chris was special.</p><p>“Let’s get you some food.” Minho smiled weakly. He didn’t exactly know what time it was, so he wasn’t sure what meal it would be. Chris yawned wide before hopping from the bed and trotting out of the bedroom, stopping at the doorway and glancing back at him.</p><p>It took Minho more effort that it should have to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and gather the strength to stand. It had been several hours since he last got up, and by several hours he meant close to a full 24 hours at least.</p><p>As soon as Chris saw Minho coming towards him, the cat continued towards the kitchen, stopping to glance over his shoulder to check that the human was still there every few steps.</p><p>Minho checked the fridge and scowled a little. It had been at least a week since he had gone shopping - he had been overdue even before he fell into this slump. The shelves were mostly empty, and what was there had started to go bad. He remembered the article he read on cat safe foods and went to his cabinet. He might not have anything in his fridge, but he knew he had some rice, at the very least.</p><p>Chris sat on the counter, chirping occasionally, as if cheering Minho on. Minho found himself smiling faintly as Chris headbutted his arm as he walked by. He stopped and pet the cat carefully, not sure if he even deserved to have Chris care about him.</p><p>“I’m sorry, this is all I have,” Minho said quietly, his throat stinging painfully as he placed the pitiful bowl on the counter. He had found some chicken tenders in the freezer and tossed them in his toaster oven, peeling the breading off of Chris’ piece and cutting it into small, bite sized pieces. It wasn’t much, but it was something. “I’m going to have to go shopping soon... I don’t want to leave the house...”</p><p>He rested his chin on the counter, his bottom lip trembling as he held back tears. He was too tired for this... He just wanted to go back to sleep for a few days.</p><p>Chris nudged his face, meowing softly until Minho looked up. Chris tapped the human’s bowl with his paw, as a cat would to a glass to knock it off the counter - only, Chris wasn’t trying to knock it over. He was trying to push it closer to Minho.</p><p>“Thank you, aegi,” Minho hummed. It was near impossible to hold his chopsticks properly. “It’s been a while since I had someone care about me like this...”</p><p>Tears started dripping down his cheeks. He silently ate a bite of his chicken and rice, not even tasting it. Chris seemed to watch intently, making sure the human chewed and swallowed fully before rubbing up against the underside of Minho’s chin, purring as he licked the human’s cheek. Minho couldn’t help but smile at the feeling of Chris’ rough tongue against his tear-streaked skin.</p><p>“I love you,” He pressed a gentle kiss to the cat’s head. Chris stared at him with wide eyes, pupils dilated, before flicking his ears and looking away, causing Minho’s smile to grow a little more. “What? Are you being shy all of a sudden?”</p><p>Chris sneezed, grumbling a little as he went back to his own bowl. Minho let his shoulders slump as he slowly ate his food - it was far past dinner, according to the clock on the stove. Any time he stopped eating, staring blankly at the table, Chris would come over and nudge the hand holding his chopsticks. Each time, Minho would blink and smile, kissing the cat’s head before returning to his meager dinner.</p><p>Soon his bowl was empty and Minho found that he felt a little better. His stomach rumbled from suddenly having food in it, but not in a bad way. Chris licked the tip of Minho’s nose, and the human found his eyes watering.</p><p>“Thank you, little one,” He chuckled and gathered Chris in his arms. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a kiss.”</p><p>Chris let out a low growl for a moment before squirming in Minho’s arms. The boy let Chris sit with his front paws around his neck, almost like he was hugging him. Minho smiled and hugged Chris back.</p><p>When had he become so dependent on a cat?</p><p>“I wish Chan was here,” Minho breathed, not even realizing what he was saying until he felt Chris’ claws digging into his shoulders. “Ah, I would never replace you, baby. You’re still my number one, no matter how cute or warm Chan is.”</p><p>Chris chirped, almost as if he were proud of being Minho’s favorite.</p><p>“Though it would be nice to have you both here,” Minho sighed, sitting down on the couch. Chris crawled onto his chest, the cat’s warm weight comforting. “My two favorite boys. You remind me a lot of him, too. Funny how Chan acts so much like a cat.”</p><p>Chris sneezed and settled against Minho’s chest.</p><p>“I should shower...” Minho mumbled, his eyes suddenly very heavy. “I’ll do it when I wake up...</p><hr/><p>“Um... hi?” Minho watched a parade of boys enter his apartment. He had heard a light knock and wondered if it was Chan, stopping by to say hello, and was greeted by everyone grinning at him, arms filled with bags.</p><p>“We brought take out!” Felix grinned, holding up two bags. The smell of noodles and dumplings hit Minho, and he couldn’t stop his stomach from growling loudly. He had only just gone shopping after his depressive episode, but hadn’t been able to actually cook anything that day.</p><p>“Is it alright if we crash your apartment?” Chan asked, smiling at Minho with that beautiful dimpled smile of his- Minho really was whipped, wasn’t he?</p><p>“Uh... sure,” He answered after a moment. “I didn’t have plans today...”</p><p>“If it gets too much, just let me know, okay? I don’t mind wrangling the boys back over to our apartment if you want to rest.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Minho blinked. Chan was so thoughtful, it was almost scary. “I’ll... I’ll let you know if that happens.”</p><p>“Hyung! Come get your food!” Changbin called from the kitchen. Minho glanced over and wondered how six boys managed to shove themselves into his small kitchen but didn’t actually question it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You’re so pretty, hyung.” Hyunjin grinned as he sat at the coffee table. After they had gotten their food, the eight boys went to the living room to settle down. Minho, Chan and Jeongin sat on the couch as Hyunjin, Felix, Seungmin, and Changbin sat on each side of the coffee table. Jisung was sitting on the arm of the couch, perching precariously.</p><p>“Th-thank you?” Minho hadn’t meant for it to come out as a question, but he ended up choking on a noodle at the sudden compliment.</p><p>“No wonder Channie hyung’s been talking about you non stop.” Seungmin smirked as the boy in question let out an indignant squawk.</p><p>“Hey,” Chan pouted, sitting back on the couch. His arm pressed against Minho’s, and the younger boy hated how much he adored how comfortable he felt being so close to Chan. “Don’t rat me out like that...”</p><p>“It’s cute, hyung,” Jeongin grinned at his friend over Minho, who was sitting between them. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you flustered.”</p><p>“I’m not flustered!” Chan’s cheeks puffed up, unable to look anyone in the eye.</p><p>“Isn’t Chan hyung cute?” Jisung asked Minho, who instantly lit up red.</p><p>“I-I-I um, you- um,” He stuttered, his brain turning to soup. “Y-yeah, he is.”</p><p>“Minho...” Chan covered his face with his hands, his ears burning bright. Minho couldn’t help himself - he reached over and ran his nails gently over Chan’s scalp, but behind his ear the same way the older boy had done for him after hitting his head.</p><p>Minho held his breath as Chan leaned into the touch, his eyes closing and mouth curling up happily.</p><p>“You did it now,” Felix giggled, his eyes shining. “You’re never gonna be able to get rid of him.”</p><p>“I don’t mind,” Minho’s face softened, watching Chan closely. The older boy opened his eyes just enough to wink at Minho, who instantly choked on his own spit and pulled away, covering his face as he coughed. Chan rubbed his back, the same warmth from before filling his body as the need to cough faded quickly. “Jeez... are you trying to kill me?”</p><p>“Nah, you’re too cute to kill,” Chan said easily despite how red his ears and neck still were. He glanced at Minho for a moment before smirking. “For now.”</p><p>“At least I have a little more time before the end,” Minho sighed wistfully, causing the others to laugh loudly. “How kind of you.”</p><p>“Anything for you.” Chan’s eyes shined as he watched Minho chuckle. Minho blinked, caught off guard by the look the older boy was giving him. It was almost... too genuine. It made dark emotions swirl in Minho’s chest.</p><p>Why would Chan be looking at him like that? He couldn’t quite describe the look in the older boy’s eyes, but it made his heart hurt. He wasn’t anything special. Hyunjin called him pretty, but he wasn’t all that pretty at all. Loving him would be a chore for whoever was unfortunate to be stuck with him, and he would never wish that on his worst enemy, let alone someone as beautiful as Chan.</p><p>“Minho?” A warm hand cupped Minho’s cheek, breaking him from his thoughts.</p><p>“Mm?” He hoped his expression wasn’t as broken as he felt on the inside.</p><p>“Do you want us to go?” Chan whispered, just loud enough for Minho alone to hear. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable-”</p><p>“No, it’s alright,” He smiled, finding himself leaning into Chan’s palm the way Chris always did with him. “I was just... thinking.”</p><p>“Thinking about something serious?”</p><p>“Um... I guess...”</p><p>“I can send the others back and we can talk, if you want.” Chan looked at him, and Minho could actually put a name to the emotions he was seeing in the older boy’s eyes.</p><p>Worry.</p><p>Affection.</p><p>Lo-</p><p>No, he wasn’t going to even humor that idea. There was no way Chan could ever love him.</p><p>“Um... maybe.”</p><p>“Mm, after the movie, okay?”</p><p>“Okay.” He turned to look at Chan, only to find the older boy’s face mere inches from his own. He couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering down - Chan’s lips looked soft. Very kissable. He wanted to-</p><p>He looked back up. He hoped Chan hadn’t seen him staring.</p><p>“What are you guys whispering about?” Changbin narrowed his eyes at Chan and Minho, who jumped. Minho tried to move away, but when he felt an arm snake around his waist from behind, he found himself far too comfortable to move.</p><p>“About how annoying you all are.” Chan grinned, causing the room to explode in jeers and laughs.</p><p>“Abandoned by our own hyung,” Jisung placed the back of his hand to his forehead dramatically. “So much for our magical fairy tale ending... what kind of prince <em>abandons</em> his princess so carelessly!?”</p><p>“If anyone here is the princess, it’s Felix.” Changbin scoffed, causing said boy to let out a sound like a deflating balloon and hide his face in his hands.</p><p>“Excuse you! I would be a <em>beautiful</em> princess.” Hyunjin sounded genuinely offended.</p><p>“Does that make Changbin hyung the dragon that guards the castle?” Seungmin grinned wide as Changbin threw a balled up napkin at the younger boy’s head.</p><p>“Changbin hyung is too soft to be a dragon.” Jeongin added, causing the older boy to shout and glare at the youngest. If Changbin had another napkin to throw, he would have, but Jeongin was lucky that he was fresh out.</p><p>Minho watched the boys bicker playfully and found his chest wasn’t as tight. He didn’t join in the teasing, but just listening was enough to make him smile. At one point, Jisung threw himself at Hyunjin, who had been doing a very exaggerated impersonation of his friend’s rapping, which started a full out wrestling match on Minho’s living room floor.</p><p>He glanced over at Chan, only to find the older boy was already looking at him. Chan smirked a little, wrinkling his nose playfully at Minho. Feeling as though he had been punched in the stomach, all Minho could do was lean back against Chan’s chest. The older boy’s arm wrapped fully around his waist, his hand resting on Minho’s upper thigh.</p><p>Chan glanced back at him, silently asking Minho if that was alright. Minho flushed and leaned closer to the older boy and turned his attention back to the others, who were still far too focused on the fight - Changbin was now in a headlock, Jeongin straddling him and pinning him to the ground - to notice their hyungs sitting so close together all of a sudden.</p><p>Minho’s stomach flipped. It had been so long since he had been this close to someone else - especially someone who was holding him so carefully, and who’s thumb was rubbing his thigh. He was... very content.</p><p>He wished the night would never end.</p><p>“Hyung...” he trailed off, not sure what he wanted to ask.</p><p>“Mm?” Chan hummed.</p><p>“Nothing,” He shook his head a little. “I’m just... really comfortable.”</p><p>“That’s good to hear.” Chan mumbled softly. Minho could have sworn he felt something press briefly against his temple, but when he glanced over, Chan was watching the wrestling match.</p><p>Did Chan just...</p><p>Minho flushed hot at the thought. Chan wouldn’t have kissed him...</p><p>Right?</p><hr/><p><br/>Minho closed his balcony door. It was getting late, and the breeze was just a little too cold to leave it open any longer. He would open it back up in the morning, if Chris wanted to stop by... but he hadn’t seen the cat in a few days now.</p><p>He was a little worried, actually, but when he asked Chan, the older boy just said Chris was fine. He just wasn’t that fond of the cold, is all. Minho accepted the answer, but it didn’t stop him from worrying.</p><p>“I should have bought that space heater when I had the chance...” Minho grumbled to himself. He was cold, but he didn’t want to turn the heat up for the whole apartment. He could have been camping out in his room, toasty and content. Instead, he just wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulders. As he started walking towards the bedroom, there was a knock at his door.</p><p>“Hyung,” Minho smiled as he saw who was standing in the hall. “You... look like shit, wow. Come in. I’ll make you some tea.”</p><p>“Thanks, you always have the best compliments for me.” Chan chuckled, but it was weak. Minho glanced at the older boy from the corner of his eye as they went to the kitchen, and he couldn’t help but notice how pale Chan was.</p><p>Not only was he pale, but the bags under his eyes looked like bruises, and he seemed to sway slightly as he walked.</p><p>“Are you feeling alright, hyung?” Minho asked as he put the kettle on.</p><p>“Mm, just tired,” Chan hummed, rubbing his temple. “Insomnia’s been kicking my ass recently.”</p><p>“Is there anything I can do?” He asked, handing Chan three advil and a bottle of water as he waited for the kettle to boil. Chan blinked at him for a second before comprehending what he was being handed. He took the pills with a grateful smile and threw them back, draining half the bottle in one go.</p><p>“Thanks baby,” He rubbed his eyes roughly. He didn’t seem to notice the pet name, but Minho’s ears burned as he poured some sugar into a mug. Chan looked like he could use a little extra. He added a bag of his favorite tea before turning back to his friend. “I appreciate the offer, but there really isn’t anything anyone can do... I just have to tough it out-”</p><p>He cut himself off with a nasty coughing fit. Minho went around the bar counter and placed a hand on Chan’s back, wanting to help but not knowing what to do.</p><p>“Fuck...” Chan groaned as the coughing finally subsided.</p><p>“Are you sure you’re just tired?” Minho went over to the kettle when he heard the whistling. Pouring the water into the mug, he watched the tea brew and darken. He gave it a quick stir before placing the mug in front of Chan, who just stared at it for a moment before reaching out. Minho watched the older wrap his hands around the mug, not sipping it but holding it close to his mouth so the steam would hit his lips.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“You could be sick, hyung.” Minho was a little more than a little concerned. He and Chan had only been friends for a few weeks, but the older boy always seemed so... aware. He was always smiling and watching everyone closely, but now it seemed he could barely even focus on whatever was directly in front of him.</p><p>“Nah, I don’t get sick,” He chuckled, drinking his tea. He winced when it scalded his tongue, but that didn’t stop him from taking a second sip immediately after. “Thanks though.”</p><p>“Do you wanna take a nap?”</p><p>“I should probably head back,” Chan sighed, sounding exhausted. “I just... I wanted to see you. Thank you for the tea, aegi.”</p><p>“Of course, hyung,” Minho frowned, his eyebrows meeting in concern. “Are you sure you don’t want to nap here? You can sleep on my bed-”</p><p>“I promise I’m okay,” He smiled, letting his eyes close for a moment before he stood. He swayed in place briefly, using the counter to steady himself. “I sleep best in my own bed.”</p><p>“Ah, I get that.” He really did. Sometimes sleeping in unfamiliar places was harder than it should be.</p><p>“I’ll go back and pass out for a few hours, then I’ll make it up to you.” Chan said, his face adorably serious. Instead of being actually serious, though, he was just pouting.</p><p>“Make what up to me?” Minho fought back a smile.</p><p>“Hm... Chris ‘n th’... everythin’...” Chan mumbled, his eyes unfocusing.</p><p>“I’m more than happy to cat sit for you guys,” Minho walked Chan to the door, still not 100% sure he shouldn’t just... manhandle the older boy to his bed and force him to sleep. His apartment was right next door, but the way that Chan was acting was more than a little concerning. “I love spending time with you.”</p><p>“I love you too aegi...” Chan’s words were slurring a little, but that didn’t stop Minho’s entire face from burning hot as he opened the front door. He wanted to say something, but Chan’s mistaken confession stole his words from him.</p><p>“Hyung-” Minho was cut off by lips on his own. His eyes flew open as Chan kissed him, the older boy leaning against him just a little too heavily.</p><p>“Mm, g’night baby...” Chan stepped back and coughed as he pushed his way into his own apartment. The door closed, leaving Minho frozen in the hall. His hand came up and touched his bottom lip, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.</p><p>He actually couldn’t believe what happened.</p><p>Chan must have been <em>really</em> sick to kiss someone like Minho...</p><p>He turned and closed the door behind him, the apartment silence once again. Going over to the counter, he took Chan’s half-finished mug of tea and poured the rest down the sink, tossing the tea bag into the trash.</p><p>Minho wished Chris was there...</p><p>Chris always knew how to comfort Minho, even before Minho himself knew he needed to be comforted. He hoped Chan would feel better soon...</p><p>He hoped Chan wouldn’t regret anything when he did feel better, and his brain was working again. He didn’t think he would be able to handle Chan regretting him - regretting meeting him, and befriending him, and getting close to him.</p><p>There was nothing Minho could do but worry, so he went to bed, hoping there would be some good news in the morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We love one after another updates! I had a free afternoon because I cleared my schedule to take an exam, only to find out the exam opens /next/ week :') tomorrow my other midterms open, so this weekend is going to ~suck~ I'm going to try to alternate between chapter three of this, and the next one for the fantasy au. I have too many open fics at the moment, and I - being a monumental dumbass - just continue to start more ToT</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Cat's Out of the Bag</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Minho paced his apartment anxiously. He hadn’t heard from Chan since the day before, and none of the other boys were answering his messages. He had only just gotten their numbers on the night they had crashed his apartment for dinner, but he didn’t really communicate with them as much as he did with Chan - who <em>also</em> wasn’t returning any of his messages.</p><p>Chan had been so out of character the night before, and Minho was <em>worried</em>. What if something happened? What if he passed out? Or needed to go to the hospital? Oh fuck, is that why no one was answering him? Did they have to take Chan to the hospital?</p><p>“I-I’ll...” Minho didn’t know what to do. His only friends were giving him radio silence, and the boy he was practically in love with could be dying for all he knew. “I’ll make soup.”</p><p>Soup was always good when you were sick, right?</p><p>Chan had come over to share a meal with him quite a few times in the last few weeks, so Minho had an idea of what the older boy liked. He knew broths were better than cream based soups when you were sick, but he also knew Chan probably hadn’t consumed <em>anything</em> but that half of a cup of tea. Maybe something with a little cream would get some vitamins in him?</p><p>Is that even how that worked?</p><p>Minho’s hands shook as he started throwing things into a pot. He knew Chan would be fine - he <em>knew</em> it - but he was just so scared. He couldn’t remember the last time he himself had been sick, let alone the last time he had to take care of someone else who was sick.</p><p>He wondered if Chris was comforting Chan. Chris always seemed to know exactly when Minho needed comfort, or affection, so it only made sense that the cat would know when his own owner needed it.</p><p>His face softened at the image - poor Chan with his red nose and stuffy voice, and Chris, purring loudly, licking the boy’s cheek and making him smile. As bad as he felt about Chan being sick, the image was just so... cute.</p><p>So domestic.</p><p>He let his mind wander a little. He wished he could coax Chan back over to his apartment so he could properly take care of him. He had never really considered himself to be overly maternal, but the urge to help Chan feel better hit him like a bus.</p><p>Chan would be so cute, pouting as Minho-</p><p>Minho shook the image from his head. He and Chan never actually talked about what happened the night of their makeshift party. He couldn’t get the feeling of Chan’s hand, warm and firm against his thigh, out of his head. He never wanted Chan to leave, but in the end they all had to go back to their own apartment. Minho found himself feeling extra cold afterwards.</p><p>He wanted Chan to hold him like that again...</p><p>He wouldn’t risk what they had because he was just a little lonely. He had just started getting closer to the other boys, and he was so <em>happy</em> that they were treating him like part of their group - including him instantly and never making him feel awkward. He’d rather stay friends with Chan and keep his friends than risk a romantic relationship and lose everything. As happy as he would be to properly kiss the older boy, the cons greatly outweighed the pros.</p><p>“Maybe things were easier before...” Minho said to himself, his empty apartment eating his words instantly. Sure, he was lonely, but it was simpler.</p><p>There was a knock at his door.</p><p>He rushed over, the only thing on his mind was that it was Jisung, or Changbin, or one of the others coming to tell him what’s going on. He threw the door open to see Chan himself standing in the hall, looking - somehow - even worse than before.</p><p>“Hyung, what the fuck?” Minho pulled him into the apartment and closed the door behind him, ushering Chan towards the living room and making the older boy sit on the couch. “Why are you here? Where are the others? Do you need to go to the hospital?”</p><p>“No hospital...” Chan whined, sounding like he was in pain. Minho touched his forehead and flinched - Chan was burning up. “Please... I’m okay.”</p><p>“Why are you walking around? You should be sleeping.”</p><p>“They... they don’t know I’m sick,” Chan whimpered, his eyes watering. “Don’t l-let them know... they’ll just worry.”</p><p>“Of course they’re going to worry,” Minho felt a spike of irritation. “They care about you, idiot. <em>I</em> care about you! Do you have any idea how scared I was last night?”</p><p>“I’m sorry baby... didn’t mean t’ scare you...” His eyes closed, his breathing sounding labored. “Just... chilly...”</p><p>“It’s the fever,” Minho murmured, looking around the living room. He reached over and grabbed his favorite fuzzy blanket and wrapped it around Chan’s shoulders, tugging it over the boy’s head so his whole body, minus his face alone, was covered. “Do you want something to eat aegi?”</p><p>“No...” He pouted harder. “Belly hurts...”</p><p>“I know baby, but if you eat, you can take medication, and you can take a nap and then you can feel better.” Minho cupped Chan’s cheek, the older boy leaning into his palm as if desperate for the comfort. Minho was <em>extremely</em> worried about how warm his face was under his touch.</p><p>“It hurts...”</p><p>“I know love,” Minho’s eyes stung. “What can I do to make it stop hurting?”</p><p>“Dunno...” Chan whimpered, his soft sobs breaking Minho’s heart. Chan always seemed so strong and put together, even when he was frazzled - He had this air about him that made everyone around him comfortable, and want to rely on him, and Chan always let people do just that. Seeing the older boy so helpless was...</p><p>Scary.</p><p>“Do you think you’re going to throw up?” Minho asked, frowning when Chan simply shrugged his shoulders. “I’m going to get you some pain killers, okay? Don’t move.”</p><p>Chan only settled deeper into the blanket, his eyes glassy and vacant. Minho hesitated for just a moment longer before going to the bathroom. He grabbed the advil bottle and a cooling patch before going back to the living room. Chan looked up at him as he approached, looking close to tears.</p><p>“Here, aegi,” Minho whispered, using his sleeve to dab the sweat from the other boy’s forehead before activating the patch and sticking it on. Chan sighed happily as the cold soaked into his fevered skin. He dashed to the kitchen and filled a glass with water, bringing it back to the couch. “If you can keep these down, hopefully it’ll break your fever and make the aches go away a little.”</p><p>He spoke out loud, but it was more for his own sake than for Chan’s. The older boy just stared blankly ahead, his nose running.</p><p>He tipped three advil out onto his hand and reached for the cup, turning back to Chan to help the older boy take the medication, only for the cup to slip out of his hand.</p><p>The water soaked into the area rug and into the knees of his pants, but he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to that.</p><p>Not when Chan somehow morphed into a cat right in front of Minho’s eyes.</p><p>“Chan- Chris?” Minho’s voice squeaked at the end, letting out an incredulous, borderline insane, chuckle. The cat just flicked his ear, unable to even make a sound.</p><p>It made sense, in a way. Chan and Chris were just a little too similar, but <em>how</em>?</p><p>How was this even possible?</p><p>A human can’t turn into a cat!</p><p>Magic wasn’t <em>real</em>-</p><p>But Chan had healed his head, and Chris had managed to calm his panic attacks in a way that was just a little too effective.</p><p>But-</p><p>“Shit-” Minho realized the most important part of this whole situation. “I don’t know how to take care of a <em>sick cat!</em>”</p><p>He scooped Chris, or rather, Chan into his arms, cradling his small body like a baby and scrambled from his apartment, using his free hand to bang as loudly as he could on the other door. He desperately hoped there was someone home, because he didn’t know what to do!</p><p>No wonder Chan said no hospital! He was a fucking <em>cat</em>!</p><p>Should he take him to the vet? Would the vet be able to tell he’s a person?</p><p>“I’m coming! Jesus christ stop banging on the door- Hyung?” Jisung blinked, the irritation fading into confusion. He glanced down, paling when he saw what Minho was holding.</p><p>“Jisung!” He pushed himself into the apartment and closed the door behind him. “He- I don’t- he’s- cat- sick- help!”</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>“Chan hyung came over and he was really fucking sick and refused to go to the hospital and then he <em>turnedintoafuckingcatandIdon’tknowhowtotakecareofasickcat</em>-”</p><p>“Breathe hyung,” Jisung could barely understand what the older boy was trying to say.</p><p>“Chan is a <em>cat</em> and I don’t know how to take care of a <em>sick cat!</em>” He screeched, holding Chan close to his chest, as if he were afraid of the cat jumping out of his arms.</p><p>“Ah... wait <em>fuck</em>-” Jisung blinked before his face twisted in horror. “You can’t know-”</p><p>“I don’t fucking care what I know!” Minho shouted. “Help him!”</p><p>“Shit, okay, yeah,” Jisung spluttered, taking Chan and rushing towards what Minho assumed were the bedrooms. A door slammed shut, leaving Minho alone in the living room, and it was only when the silence really hit him that he let his knees give out.</p><p>What</p><p>The</p><p><em>Fuck</em>?</p><p>“Hyung? Why’re you here?” Felix asked as he let himself into the apartment. Chan had been suspiciously silent since the day before, and he stopped to bring the older boy something to eat on his way home from classes. What he wasn’t expecting to see was Minho, kneeling on the living room floor, staring at his hands as if he were having a crisis.</p><p>“L-Lix?” Minho blinked, his voice rough.</p><p>“Why are you on the floor?” The younger boy put his bags down and knelt in front of his friend, trying to see if he were injured.</p><p>“I, um...” Did Felix know? How could he <em>not</em> know! But what if he didn’t? He promised Jisung that first day that he would never put Chris- never put <em>Chan</em> at risk.</p><p>“Who’s there?” Jisung stuck his head out of the room, his entire face dropping in relief when he saw Felix. “Lix, you need to come here <em>now</em>.”</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Hyung’s sick,” Jisung glanced back into the room, his words shaking. “Like, really sick. Like, sick enough to turn.”</p><p>“<em>WHAT</em>?” Felix squawked, rushing towards the bedroom, leaving Minho alone once again.</p><p>Okay, so Felix did know...</p><p>Did they all know?</p><p>Was Minho the only one who didn’t know?</p><p>Was he in trouble because he knew now?</p><p>Would <em>Chan</em> be in trouble now that Minho knew?</p><p>“Jisung? I got your text- hyung?” Changbin closed the door behind him.</p><p>“O-oh hey there Bin...” Minho tried to smile, but his brain was going just a little too fast for him to be sure of what expression was on his face</p><p>Did that mean Chan watched him change? Chan listened to Minho vent his traumas and let Minho cry on him? Chan was the one that got Minho out of bed when he was too depressed to eat. Chan came to check on him after he hit his head - Chan was the one who tried to tell Minho that he would be missed, if he tried to kill himself.</p><p>Chan was the one Minho had been kissing so casually.</p><p>“You look like you saw a ghost,” Changbin frowned, helping Minho onto the couch. The older boy pulled his legs up to his chest, holding a pillow against his chest. “Are you okay?’</p><p>“I, uh... I don’t know if I can tell you...” Minho whispered, staring blankly at the table in front of him. What if Changbin <em>didn’t</em> know, and Minho outed Chan? Put Chan in danger because he was a <em>cat</em>-</p><p>“Is it about why Sung texted me, saying it was an emergency?”</p><p>“Maybe?”</p><p>“Hyung, thank god you’re here,” Jisung scrambled from the room. “It’s hyung. He got sick and- and he turned in front of Minho hyung.” He whispered the second half of the sentence, but Minho still heard him.</p><p>Okay, so Changbin did know.</p><p>“Fuck-” Changbin looked back at Minho, who didn’t say a word. “Is... is he okay?”</p><p>“I think he’s in shock,” Jisung continued to whisper. “He seemed more concerned about hyung getting help than the... you know.”</p><p>“Does everyone know?” Minho asked, clearing his throat a little.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I-” Minho chuckled breathlessly. “I don’t want to say the wrong thing to the wrong person... who knows, so I know who not to tell.”</p><p>“You just saw hyung turn into a cat, and that’s the first thing you’re worried about?” Changbin raised a single eyebrow.</p><p>“Technically I think the first thing he worried about was, and I quote, ‘I don’t know how to take care of a sick cat’.” Jisung gave Minho a tired smile.</p><p>“You’re ridiculous,” Changbin shook his head. “We all know, if that makes you feel any better.”</p><p>“Okay... okay you all... know...” Minho said slowly, still trying to think. He nodded faintly, his eyebrows furrowing. “So does that mean Felix is helping hyung?”<br/>He finally looked up, staring at Jisung and Changbin desperately.</p><p>“Mm,” Changbin’s face softened. “Pixie won’t let hyung be in pain for long.”</p><p>“Thank god...” Minho slumped, all the tension leaving his body. As long as Chan was alright...</p><p>“You probably have a lot of questions.” Jisung said softly, sitting next to Minho.</p><p>“Yeah, kinda.”</p><p>“Do you want to ask now? Or wait for the others?”</p><p>“Uh.... how?” Minho asked, almost as though he were aching permission to ask.</p><p>“Long story short, hyung is a familiar,” Jisung said easily. Minho nodded along, only just able to keep up. “You know about witches and shit, right? How they have cats or toads or birds?”</p><p>“Yeah, kinda cliche, but who am I to judge?” Minho’s voice was a little faint, but his mouth quirked up when he heard Jisung snicker at his flat sarcasm.</p><p>“Well, hyung used to have a witch,” His tone dropped. “Um... they were really close - witches and their familiars kinda have to be or else they can’t work together all that well. Then, uh...”</p><p>“About two years ago, his witch ran out on him,” Changbin scowled. “He decided he didn’t want to train properly anymore. He wanted to do things his own way, and by his own way he wanted to-”</p><p>“He wanted to use his powers to hurt people,” Jisung spat. “And he wanted hyung to help him to do that. We broke their bond so hyung wouldn’t be forced to hurt people, but it kinda fucked him up for a while.”</p><p>“We moved into this apartment right after,” Changbin continued. “It was supposed to be a...”</p><p>“A fresh start.”</p><p>“The others helped hyung settle in and get used to being alone again,” Changbin scowled. “It... was so fucking hard to watch hyung try to get used to being on his own. He had been bonded to that asshole for <em>years</em>.”</p><p>“Bonded, his magic was super strong, but on his own he can barely use it,” Jisung picked at a run in the fabric of the couch. Minho listened carefully, faintly wondering why he wasn’t freaking out more. “It took him a long time to get used to having to do everything manually.”</p><p>“The day you found him, he had been stressing about his internship,” Changbin glanced back to the room where Felix and Chan were. “He can pick and choose when he turns into his familiar form, but when he gets super stressed-”</p><p>“Or super sick-”</p><p>“Or super sick, he loses control of it.”</p><p>“He probably turned that day and couldn’t get into the apartment, which is when you found him.” Jisung finished.</p><p>“Oh...” Minho said faintly. Jisung and Changbin stared at him, trying to gauge the older boy’s reaction to everything. “Then... then it’s even better that I found him, right? Otherwise someone else could have found out and he would have been in trouble.”</p><p>“Y-yeah,” Changbin smiled a little, almost in disbelief. “Normal humans aren’t supposed to know about our world, so if anyone else found out, we would have had to erase their memory and move to another city completely.”</p><p>“Wait, if I know, does that mean you’re going to have to leave?” Fear sent ice through his veins. He couldn’t lose them! They were his only friends-</p><p>“Nah, I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Jisung chuckled. “We would have had to leave if our secret was in danger, but I really don’t think you’re gonna tattle on us.”</p><p>“Who would I even tell?” Minho huffed. “I would never put you guys in danger like that.”</p><p>“You’d be surprised how easily people will betray people like us.” Changbin’s tone was... sad. Resigned, almost.</p><p>“Am I allowed to ask about the rest of you?” Minho glanced over at them.</p><p>“Felix is a witch, and I’m his familiar.” Changbin grinned. Minho blinked and by the time he opened his eyes again, there was a large raven perched on Jisung’s shoulder.</p><p>“Wow... you’re beautiful Binnie.” Minho’s eyes widened, taking in the bird’s shining feather. The raven - Changbin - ruffled his feathers, puffing up in pride at the compliment.</p><p>“Seungmin and Hyunjin are familiars that have never bonded, so they don’t have an animal form yet,” Jisung pet Changbin’s head mindlessly. “Jeongin is a witch, but he refuses to bond with a familiar at all.”</p><p>“He saw what happened with Chan hyung and decided he would never risk doing that to another person.” Changbin said, sneezing a little as he turned back into a human.</p><p>“What about you?” Minho asked Jisung, who just grinned wider.</p><p>“I’m just me,” He laughed. “Lix got attached during the semester we shared a class, and I just got... absorbed into the group.”</p><p>“So you’re like me?”</p><p>“Mm, which is why I don’t think there’s going to be an issue.”</p><p>“Wow... okay,” Minho nodded again, furrowing his brows in thought. “Why does this make sense? This shouldn’t make sense but it does.”</p><p>“Some people just accept shit like this easier than others,” Changbin shrugged. “We always figured you’d be more chill when you inevitably found out.”</p><p>“You’ve been talking about me?” Minho blinked, shock making his face go lax.</p><p>Changbin and Jisung glanced at each other for a moment before laughing loudly. Minho just watched them laugh with an incredulous expression.</p><p>“Hyung, you’re lucky you’re so pretty.” Jisung continued to laugh.</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” He didn’t mean to sound so indignant, but that’s how it came out. Unfortunately, it definitely came across as more pouty than anything.</p><p>“It means Channie hyung’s had a crush on you for <em>weeks</em> and we were placing bets on when he was going to finally say something,” Changbin’s grin curled up. “We knew it would end with you being dragged into our group fully one way or another.”</p><p>“You’ve been placing bets on me?” Minho squinted at them, scandalized. It took a beat before his entire face burst into a bright blush. “Wait- hyung has a cr- a crush- hyung has-”</p><p>“Hyung has a crush on you, yes.” Jisung saved him from stuttering anymore.</p><p>“You think we didn’t notice how close you were sitting on the couch the other day?” Changbin shook his head and put his hands on his hips. Minho guessed that explained the way Chan had been acting the night before - the kiss and the confession that he probably wouldn’t even remember. “The surprising things was the fact that hyung didn’t try to feel you up more-”</p><p>“Bin, what lies are you telling now?” A familiar voice came from the hall. Three heads whipped around to see Chan leaning against the wall, looking tired, but not nearly as sick anymore. He was still pale, but there was a little more color than before, and his smile was soft, affectionate even.</p><p>“N-nothing hyung...” Changbin flushed, glancing away.</p><p>“Hyung-” Minho stood, staring at Chan with wide eyes.</p><p>“Ah, Minho... Look-” Chan’s face instantly dropped, as if he were about to cry. Minho didn’t let him finish before he threw himself at the older boy, wrapping his arms around his neck and hugging him as tightly as he felt he could - he still didn’t want to be too rough, even with just a hug.</p><p>“You’re such an <em>idiot</em>,” He hissed, his breath warming Chan’s neck. “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were sick? What if you didn’t turn into a cat and I brought you to a hospital? Things could have been so bad if they found out-”</p><p>Minho’s eyes widened as Chan cut him off, kissing the younger boy carefully. After a beat, Minho leaned into the kiss, letting his eyes close. Chan’s arms wrapped around his waist and held him close, his fingers twisting in the back of Minho’s shirt, as if he were afraid that the younger boy would vanish.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Chan pulled away, resting his forehead against Minho’s. “I didn't mean to worry you.”</p><p>“Well you did,” There was no fire behind his words. “You scared the shit out of me...”</p><p>“He’s just stubborn,” Felix stood next to Changbin, who wrapped his arms around the younger boy’s waist casually. “I healed him enough to get back on his feet, but if I went any further I would have just made things worse.”</p><p>“Mm, you’re so talented.” Changbin cooed, causing Felix’s ears to burn red.</p><p>“Felix’s specialties lie more in emotional charms.” Jisung noticed the confusion clear on Minho’s face. He was still wrapped in Chan’s arms, but he was watching Felix and Changbin being cute together. Minho hummed.</p><p>“I’m better at cheering people up,” Felix looked away bashfully. “I can improve someone’s mood, but outright healing isn’t the easiest for me...”</p><p>“That’s amazing Lix,” Minho smiled, and Chan instantly pulled him back into a kiss. He let out a squeak before it was swallowed up, letting Chan’s tongue lap at his bottom lip. Minho found himself being dipped back a little, but Chan’s arms were strong and Minho didn’t worry for even an instant that he would fall. “Wh-what was that for?” he asked breathlessly when Chan pulled away from the kiss.</p><p>“You’re just really pretty,” Chan hummed, nuzzling Minho’s cheek - much like... a cat would. Minho chuckled and laced his fingers through Chan’s hair, scratching the older boy’s scalp gently. “Hmm... feels good...”</p><p>“Careful with him hyung,” Felix called over to Minho. “He’s still sick, even if he’s acting gross and cute.”</p><p>“Do you want to go nap, hyung?” Minho asked, kissing Chan’s temple.</p><p>“Mm.”</p><p>“Do you want to go to my apartment? Or-” Minho was cut off as Chan pulled him away from the living room, ignoring the playful jeers and whistles that followed them. Minho chuckled lightly as Chan brought him into the room he had Felix had just come out of.</p><p>Chan’s room was... exactly what Minho would expect, honestly. Black clothing spilling out of the dresser, with some in piles on the floor, post-it notes and index cards taped to the wall by the messy desk, and a corkboard of papers pinned up with ideas for project after project. What he hadn’t been expecting was the worn wolf push propped up on a mountain of pillows, the bed itself barely visible at all.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” Minho asked softly. Chan sniffled and tugged the younger boy towards the bed. Taking the hint, Minho crawled up, trying to place himself among the pillows comfortably. He wondered briefly where Chan would go, seeing how there was no room, but that question was quickly answered when Chris trotted over to him and butted Minho’s chin with his forehead. “Ah, there you are, little one.”</p><p>Minho smiled as Chris curled up on his chest, the cat instantly purring loudly. The human pet him gently, trying not to pull a muscle from the odd angle.</p><p>Soon he felt his own eyes growing heavy. Chris’ weight was just so comforting, and all the pillows made him feel like he was laying on a cloud. That, combined with the adrenaline leaving his system was a deadly combination, and before he knew it, Minho was fast asleep.</p><hr/><p>“Hyung, come here for a second!” Felix called from the couch. Ever since Minho found out about Chan, the others had become <em>much</em> more open with him - and by open, he meant they would use magic to pick his lock and let themselves into his apartment at all hours of the day, and that they had no reservations with skinship.</p><p>“What’s up Pixie?” Minho asked, wondering why the younger boy was calling him over.</p><p>“Cuddle with me?” Felix instantly started to pout, and Minho couldn’t do anything but smile and sigh a little. He had been trying to prep lunch for everyone, who were scattered to the four corners at the moment, before they came home, but he could take a small break for his favorite friend - not that he’d tell that to anyone else, because he had told <em>them</em> that they were his favorite already.</p><p>“Is something wrong?” Minho asked, curling his legs under him as he sat on the couch. Instantly, his arms were filled by the smaller boy. Felix wrapped his arms around Minho’s middle and buried his face in the older boy’s chest. After a beat, a tension that Minho hadn’t even realized was weighing down on him started to lift.</p><p>“You were feeling sad,” Felix muttered against his shirt. “I could feel it the second you walked in.”</p><p>“Oh...” Minho remembered what they had said about Felix’s powers, but for some reason this wasn’t what he was expecting. “You’re like... an empath on steroids.”</p><p>“Wh-” Felix spluttered, sitting up to look Minho in the eye for just a second before bursting into bright laughter, doubling over and resting his forehead on the older boy’s shoulder. Minho just grinned, watching his friend try to get himself under control.</p><p>“You good?” Minho asked, amused.</p><p>“Hyung, what the fuck?” Felix managed to get his laughter to stop for a moment, but one look at the look on Minho’s face, and the younger boy was cackling once more. Minho just let him laugh, enjoying the almost bell-like quality of it. Felix’s laugh had always been able to bring a smile to his face, but now that he knew what the younger boy’s powers were - and now that Felix felt more comfortable using them around Minho - he could feel the depressive episode that had been leering over his shoulder start to retreat.</p><p>“What’s so funny?” Chan asked as he, Jisung, and Hyunjin entered the apartment. He instantly went over to Minho and pressed a chaste kiss to the younger boy’s lips before going back to where the others were putting the groceries away. Minho flushed at how... casual Chan was about it.</p><p>“Hyung’s being stupid.” Felix whined, shouting over to the kitchen. The two apartments were similarly laid out, so there was only a low counter that separated the kitchen from the living room, which meant Chan had a full view of the scowl Minho shot Felix.</p><p>“Felix is bullying me!” Minho countered, letting his head drop back, looking at his boyfriend while upside down.</p><p>“Mm, and what a ruthless bully he is,” Chan hummed in fake pity. He folded the paper bag he was holding and went over to the couch, giving Minho another kiss, his top lip pressing against Minho’s bottom. “How was your day?”</p><p>“Boring,” Minho pouted as Chan pulled away. “Missed you...”</p><p>“I missed you too baby,” Chan laughed happily. Minho felt his stomach flip at the sound - he would never get over how <em>perfect</em> Chan was. “Were you going to make lunch?”</p><p>“Mm, then Felix pulled me away.” Minho chuckled as said boy just curled tighter around his hyung, burying his face in Minho’s shoulder.</p><p>“He was starting to get depressed,” He muttered softly, all mirth in his voice gone. “I... I wanted to help.”</p><p>“Oh...” Chan’s eyes softened, looking almost sad. “Thank you Pixie. He takes such good care of us, it’s about time we return the love.”</p><p>“I... didn’t know how powers worked like that,” Minho commented, his chest bubbling with a dozen different emotions from the exchange. Did... did he really mean that much to them? “I just thought he wanted to cuddle...”</p><p>“That’s how he traps you,” Hyunjin called from the kitchen. “Draws you in with the promise of cuddles then makes you confront your inner feelings like some kind of octopus therapist.”</p><p>“Have you ever thought about becoming a therapist for real?” Minho asked. He noticed how Felix’s face dropped at the question.</p><p>“He’s afraid to use his powers with other people,” Jisung said softly, sitting on the other side of Felix and started running a hand along his friend’s back. “After what happened with... you know who, they’ve all been scared of taking advantage of others with their magic, even just by accident.”</p><p>“Ah, I see,” Minho really did - he could only imagine how scared they must be to end up being like the one who broke Chan. “But think of it this way... the chances of helping people are so much higher than anything else. You could... you could save lives, Lix.”</p><p>“I would be taking advantage of them by reading their emotions...” Felix’s voice was muffled.</p><p>“As someone who went through... five different therapists, let me tell you how much I would have <em>loved</em> to have someone who knew exactly what I was feeling,” Minho shifted so he could cup Felix’s face, looking the younger boy directly in his glassy eyes. “It was... <em>infuriating</em> when they would try to tell me how I felt. If I had someone who didn’t try to guess what I was going through, it would have saved me so much fucking pain.”</p><p>“Hyung...” A tear ran down Felix’s cheek.</p><p>“And there’s more than just that,” Minho continued, using his thumb to wipe the tear away gently. “People are so good at hiding their emotions. They could seem all cool and collected on the outside, but on the inside they’re freaking the fuck out. Being able to sense that would mean helping them come to terms with whatever’s hurting them.”</p><p>“I never thought of it like that...” Felix muttered, leaning into Minho’s palm.</p><p>“You obviously don’t have to make any decisions right now,” Minho pressed a light kiss to the tip of Felix’s nose, causing the boy to giggle. “But... think about it, okay? I really think you would be a fantastic therapist.”</p><p>“Mm, I’ll think about it,” Felix hid his face again. “Can we just... sit here for now though?”</p><p>“Of course Pixie.” Minho kissed the top of the younger boy’s head as his arms settled around him. He felt Felix relax into the embrace, and he was thrilled that he was able to make the boy feel safe. He couldn’t believe they were not only allowing him in their lives, but willingly keeping him around.</p><p>“You’re thinking too hard.” Felix’s muffled words broke Minho from his mind.</p><p>“Mm, when aren’t I?”</p><p>“That’s the problem,” Chan chuckled softly. “You think way too much. Sometimes you just have to veg out on the couch and binge something.”</p><p>“As long as it’s not that awful- damnit,” Hyunjin cut himself off when he recognized the opening to the show Chan had put on. “You never wanna watch my shows...”</p><p>“Jinnie, I love you but your shows are so sappy.” Chan fired back.</p><p>“Next time hyung locks himself in one of the studios, we can binge one of your favorites, okay?” Minho grinned at the younger boy, who’s entire face lit up.</p><p>“Really?” He bounced in place. Minho nodded, unable to help his own smile from widening at how excited Hyunjin was. “No take backs!”</p><p>“No take backs.” Minho promised. Chan chuckled as he squeezed in on the couch, between Minho and the arm. It was tight, and a little uncomfortable, but Minho was content.</p><p>He was finally, <em>genuinely</em> happy.</p><hr/><p><br/>Minho groaned as he stepped off the last flight of steps. Why he decided to take the stairs was beyond him - it seemed like a good idea at first, because he knew the best way to avoid body aches after exercising was by stretching yourself, and walking up the stairs might have prevented the inevitable ache that was lurking around the corner.</p><p>He loved Chan, but sometimes his boyfriend got a little too... enthusiastic. Especially when Minho agreed to try a new kink out.</p><p>He wondered if Chan was back in his apartment yet. When he left to pick up their lunches, Chan had said he was going to hop over to his own place to shower and change real fast. He said he could slip in and out via the balcony, so Minho didn’t have to worry about leaving the door unlocked.</p><p>Pushing the door to his floor open, Minho was surprised to see his landlord storming towards him, the elevator doors just starting to close.</p><p>“Uh oh...” Minho whispered to himself. He and his landlord met directly in front of his apartment door.</p><p>“Lee Minho,” The man scowled, and Minho knew he was in trouble - for what, he wasn’t sure, but he knew something was wrong. “Care to tell me why I’ve had someone tell me there’s been a cat on your balcony? Going in and out of <em>your</em> apartment?”</p><p>“C-cat?” Minho’s voice cracked in shock. It had been nearing half a year since he met Chan and the others, and no one had noticed Chris sneaking between apartments even once - what changed?</p><p>“I allowed you to take care of that cat one time,” The man continued. “You wouldn't take advantage of my kindness, would you?”</p><p>“O-of course not, sir,” Minho <em>prayed</em> Chan would either already be back in his human form, or still in his own apartment all together. “You can check my apartment if you want.”</p><p>He was so glad he had tucked all the cat supplies away - he figured Chan didn’t actually need it, seeing how he could easily turn back into a human if he needed to use the bathroom or eat.</p><p>“I’ll do just that,” The landlord lifted his chin, as if he was getting the upper hand over Minho. The boy just smiled tightly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. What was it with adults and looking down on those younger than them? “You know, if I find evidence of a pet, it’s ground for voiding your lease.”</p><p>“I know...” Minho’s chest tightened. Would he really kick Minho out of the building if he found something related to a <em>cat</em>?</p><p>Minho unlocked the door, silently begging Chan to already know what was going on. The apartment was silent as he let the landlord in. Glancing over, Minho saw the balcony door was firmly closed - Chan must be in the apartment already.</p><p>“See, no cat.” Minho said, just a little louder than normal. The landlord huffed, clearly not happy with the complete lack of evidence - so far.</p><p>“Are you home baby?” Chan’s voice came from the bedroom. Minho let out a near silent, desperately relieved laugh at the sound - they were almost in the clear!</p><p>“Mm, I have our lunches,” He called back. He could hear the older boy shuffling around, his footsteps coming towards the living room. “Uh, the landlord stopped by to do a quick inspection.”</p><p>“Oh?” Chan said, stepping into view. Minho felt his heart explode and his pants tighten just the slightest bit. “Maybe I should have made myself a little more presentable then...”<br/>Chan was wearing nothing but a pair of low riding sweatpants - it was <em>very</em> clear that he was wearing <em>only</em> the sweatpants. His toned chest was covered in bruises, and bites, and scratches, but the best part was the <em>clear</em> ropeburn along his chest and wrists.</p><p>He shot Minho a wink before grinning lazily at the Landlord, who had gone suspiciously silent.</p><p>“Everything alright, sir?” Chan asked, putting his hands in his pockets, causing the waistband to tug even lower down his hips.</p><p>“N-n-n-n-o no th-th-there’s no problem here!” The man’s voice went up several octaves as he physically covered his eyes. Both Chan and Minho fought back the urge to cackle. “I’ll uh... I’ll just leave you to your ac-activities...”</p><p>“Have a nice day, sir.” Chan called as the man saw himself out. The door slammed behind him, leaving the two boys in the silence of the otherwise empty apartment.</p><p>After a beat, they both burst into laughter. Minho threw his arms around Chan’s neck to keep himself up, because otherwise he would absolutely be on his knees. Tears streamed down his face from how hard he was laughing, and he could feel his ribs starting to ache painfully, but it was just so fucking <em>funny</em>.</p><p>“Wh-what was that about anyway?” Chan asked after finally being able to breathe again.</p><p>“Someone saw you sneaking in as Chris and tattled,” Minho kissed one of the many bruises along Chan’s collarbones. “He thought he was going to be so sly and catch me sheltering an illegal cat, but jokes on him.”</p><p>“I guess you could say...” Chan trailed off, struggling to stay calm. Minho raised an eyebrow at him, which only made it harder to hold back another burst of laughter. “You could say the cat’s out of the bag?”</p><p>“I hate you!” Minho cried, but it was clear he was also just biting back laughter.</p><p>“Come show me how much you hate me,” Chan grinned, scooping Minho into his arms, causing the younger boy to shout and squirm. “I’m sure you can punish me for my misdemeanor?”</p><p>“You’re so bad at this,” Minho laughed as Chan tossed him onto the bed. “Who uses the word misdemeanor when they’re trying to be sexy?”</p><p>“I do,” Chan leaned down and kissed the corner of Minho’s mouth. “And you think <em>I’m</em> sexy, so therefore it works.”</p><p>“Ppft- I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too.” Chan hummed, connecting their lips again. Minho hummed happily, and if he were a cat, he’s absolutely be purring.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I dunno why, but I feel like I managed to convey the emotions in this fic a little better than I normally do - especially the scene where they're on the couch and the others are wrestling. Something about it made my chest feel the way it does when I'm in that same position. This probably makes no sense, but when do I ever make sense XD </p><p>Now that this sudden fic is complete, I can focus on my midterms and then probably not actually work on my long-plot fics because for some reason I can't not start something new every other day</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I love being anxious and writing a new story when you have the document open for the fic you're already in the middle of :) I don't know what compels me to write whole fics based on a /single/ idea, but isn't that all fics? Creating a whole world around a single scene you want to write?</p></blockquote></div></div>
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